Langdon Palmer

Today we look at two stories in Harry Potter to help us understand the multidimensional meaning of three crucial words: Temptation, Repentance, and Reconciliation. We track what happened to Hagrid and Percy, and discover an amazing parallel to the story given by the master story teller, Jesus, known as “The Prodigal Son.”

What do you do when you come across teachings of Jesus that seem cold, abrupt, even rude ? What do you do when the teachings of Jesus offend you ? Would a good person ever come across as abrupt, rude, or cold ? Is there a difference between being a good person and being a nice person ? When the bible tells us that Jesus was unattractive and despised – do you think he would have been attractive to you ? Today we explore a side of the historical Jesus of Nazareth that people often avoid by considering his parallels to the most unlikely character imaginable in the Harry Potter series…

How can you know if your faith is real ? In a classic scene, Harry Potter is told that the passage to the other world of Hogwarts is achieved by going through what looks like a solid wall. On the surface, this advise makes no sense, but some kinds of truths that can only be known through experience. Today we look at what it means to take the leap of faith and how that is quite different than blind faith. We learn from Soren Kierkegaard what it means to have passionate faith and we turn to the book of Acts to see it in action. We face the reality that we tend to say to God “Show me and then I will trust you”, but we live in a world where God says “Trust me, and then I will show you…”

Do we really have free will, or is it just an illusion? Do you think you can control your future or do you believe whatever is going to happen is going to happen ? Is there such a thing as fate or destiny ? If there is a God and he is in complete control, how can our choices matter ? Today we face these fundamental questions about life and our introduction is the classic scene in Harry Potter where the Sorting Hat decides to which house he will be assigned. We then jump into the scriptures and discover that in the midst of all the uncertainty of life, the primal thing we need to know is this: Is God Kind, Is God good ? Can God be trusted ?

One of the reasons Harry Potter is a world-wide phenomena is that beneath the magic and fantasy it touches strangely familiar experiences in our own lives – including what it feels like to be tormented by other people and what it feels like to be tormented by our own thoughts. Today we look at how the creations of the Harry Potter story known as Dementors and Delores Umbridge paint the reality of experiences in the real world. We then go to the wisdom of the scriptures to learn how to live in a world where dark emotions and dark souls can oppress us. There actually is such a thing as a Patronus – one who guides and protects us and covers us and keeps the dementors of this world at bay. During this sermon, our own Emily McGlaughlin painted alongside Pastor Langdon, telling the same story visually. You can see her painting above

In the Harry Potter series JK Rawling does a great job helping us see and feel what it is like to experience prejudice and rejection. We meet Lucious Malfoy, the poster child for what the bible calls “the wicked.” But the goal is not to despise fictitious characters like Lucius Malfoy, the goal is to be able to see the Lucius Malfoy in us. Today we compare the way of the world to the beautiful, life giving way of Jesus, and what it is like to be part of the fellowship of the King.

As we kick off our Harry Potter series on Mother’s day, we look at what can learn from the very different parenting styles of three very different mothers. series. We then explore how the series illustrates and brings to life what the bible teaches about friendship and making choices. And we encounter Jesus, the ultimate friend who made the ultimate choice: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:12-13

Does life ever feel like a briar patch to you – like every where you turn you get poked and snagged, and everything is connected, and there seems like no way out ? Does life sometimes look like a thicket – a maze of thorns everywhere you turn? Today we look to Jesus to show us how to live in a life full of thickets. But more than that, we get a mental image that is truly helpful for understanding our relationship with Jesus as the one who makes a way straight through the thicket into the Kingdom of Gd. And we discover that to follow Jesus we must be like warriors and children – both at the same time!

Today Paul tells us to put on spiritual armor because we are in a spiritual battle. Is that really true ? Is there really such a thing as demonic forces ? If so, what is this armor and how do we use it? Paul shows both the cosmic battle and the practical facts on the ground: a big part of loving Jesus is choosing to stand your ground.

Today we get some practical advise about parents and children but then we jump into deep waters when Paul addresses the relationship between household slaves and their masters in the ancient world. Why doesn’t Paul take a much stronger stance against the evil of slavery ? Is the bible a source of oppression or the very thing that produces freedom ? We dig into the cultural background, the trajectory of the bible, and Paul’s goals in writing this letter to get the answer. We find ourselves asking the question that every Christian in every age must ask: “Am I living more like the people around me, uncritically accepting the values of my culture, or more like a radical follower of Jesus? Am I truly counter-cultural in my willingness to forgive those who hurt me, love those who are my enemies, and pray for those who persecute me ?”

Today we look at one of the most debated and difficult sections of scripture. What does Ephesians teach about the roles of husbands and wives ? Is the bible the source of sexism, oppression, and inequality, or is it the source of revolutionary freedom and equality ? Men and women often have a hard time understanding each other, and it is not always clear how we should relate. How can I have the kind of healthy relationship with my significant other that God intended for me to have ?

Today Paul challenges us in one of our most personal and private areas – sex. But he does so in a way that is not only challenging but liberating – all based not on archaic rules and regulations, but on a dynamic, joyful present tense relationship with God as our Heavenly Father. God is saying “I know how the world lives, I know how all those around you live, but I am calling YOU to come follow me and live a different way. On this Saint Patrick’s Day Sunday we end with a daily prayer from Patrick that offers hope and promise for the road of life.

The right to think for yourself. The Enlightenment. What true Atheists and true Christians hold in common. Our cultural moment. How to become more like Jesus. How Les Miserables reveals a key truth of Ephesians chapter 4. Your life. Join us for a wild ride!

There is a cacophony of voices all around us confidently claiming they know the right way to go, telling us that they have life figured out. But there is another sound too. There is the sound of the symphony that God is performing through the orchestra of His people, and it is bringing hope, meaning, mercy, and redemption into the world. Can you hear it ? Are you in the orchestra? Are you pursuing the personal responsibility and spiritual maturity that allows you to be a part of the unfolding of the Kingdom of God here and now ? Today we study an incredibly important section of the New Testament and learn what it means to finally grow up.

Today’s scripture ranges from the big questions like: “Why did Christ come when he did?” and “How do Christianity and Judaism go together ?” to the practical questions like “How do I deal with my discouragement ?” Join us as we dive into the wonders of making Maple Syrup in the spring, Growing Lemons for the world, and a 2000 year old Olive Tree to discover God’s plan of redemption for the world!

Today we look at the good news of the gospel … but it ends up forcing us to take a hard look inside ourselves. The current raging debate in the U.S. over a southern border wall reveals the bigotry of both the political right and the political left. It reveals the bigotry in me, and that is not a comfortable thing to experience. This podcast will not be easy, but we hope it will get people of all political persuasions to reflect on their own temptations to see people as guilty by association, to reduce them to nothing more than a totem for “Those People.” We look at when walls and tribes are good, and when walls and tribes become bad. We dig into what Paul meant by the “dividing wall of hostility” and the incredibly good news that Jesus went to the cross not only to pay for our personal sins, but to reconcile us the clans we are tempted to despise as “those people.”

Today we encounter some of the most crucial and famous verses of the New Testament, verses that helped give birth to the Reformation. Paul tell us that we “have been saved by faith not by works”, but he also tells us that we are “God’s workmanship created for good works.” How do these two things go together? This morning we dig into the basics of the Christian faith but we also discover the message hidden in plain site – why church sanctuaries look the way they do, and what sitting in a church was supposed to tell us.

In all the ages of human history, in all locations in the world, there is one place that does not resolve, there is one place where there is an unfathomable mystery, like an infinite well, and that place is the person known as Jesus. Today Paul helps us catch a glimpse of the actual nature of Jesus and then models for us a way to pray. We often pray for our circumstances to change and the scriptures encourage us to do so. But today Paul teaches us an even more important way to pray.

Today we begin our verse by verse bible study of the book of Ephesians, an incredible letter of hope and practical advice. What does it mean when Paul says that God "chose us before the foundation of the world" ? Join us as we dig into the introduction of Ephesians which reminds us who we are and whose we are.

Is there actually a way to interpret the bible correctly ? Yes, there is. There is a basic method that works for understanding any book. We then add to that approach the unique revelation of Jesus Christ, because Jesus is the key that unlocks the meaning of the scriptures. Come join us as we cover five basic principals that will allow you to study the bible for yourself and discover not what you want it to mean, not what someone else told you it meant, but what God intended for it to mean!